iTunes Music Library.xml

Hi coxorange,

Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.

The "Recently Added" smart playlist and other playlist information is stored in the iTunes Library.itl file, so you should not lose this information when restoring from a Time Machine backup.

For more information, see the following article:

iTunes: What are the iTunes library files?

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1660

About the iTunes Library.itl file

This file is a database of the songs in your library and the playlists you've created. Some song-specific data is saved in this file. If you delete the file, iTunes creates a new, empty copy when you open the application, but any playlists, song ratings, comments, or other information you created is lost. The iTunes Library file is only used by iTunes, and is the only one backed up by Time Machine on OS X.

Note: The library file name for versions of iTunes for Mac prior to iTunes 10.4 was iTunes Library with no file extension.

Tip: New versions of iTunes sometimes include enhancements to the iTunes library. When you open the new version of iTunes, iTunes upgrades your existing library to the new format and places a copy of the old library in the Previous Libraries folder. If everything goes fine during your upgrade to the latest version of iTunes, you can delete the older iTunes Library files.

About the iTunes Library.xml file

This file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes Library file. The purpose of the iTunes Library.xml file is to make your music and playlists available to other applications on your computer. In Mac OS X other iLife applications (like iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie) use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.

Regards,

Jeremy